The onion domes over Holy Trinity Orthodox Catholic Church in North Catasauqua are shining with an updated look and the afterglow of a special blessing this week.

On Sunday, Father Timothy Hasenecz conducted a ceremony, climbing a high stepladder to bless the newly restored domes, as the congregation stood watching in front of the Fifth Street church.

Following the ceremony, they celebrated with a picnic on the church grounds.

The domes are 110 years old.

The church was built in 1899 to serve the influx of immigrants from Russia, Austria-Hungary, Poland and other Slavic Europeans.

The original church did not have cupolas or onion domes.

According to a history posted on the church website, the initial donors for the onion domes and bells were Saint Bishop Tikhon and Saint Father Alexis Toth.

The onion domes were funded and delivered to the church in 1902 and blessed by Saint Father Alexis Toth. They were erected in 1903 and consecrated by Saint Bishop Tikhon.

In 1953, the copper domes were cleaned, sealed and refinished.

The current dome restoration project was begun in September 2005.

The fresh colors were carefully selected for their symbolism: the gold represents Jesus, the silver signifies the saints, green represents the the Holy Trinity and blue is the Holy Spirit.

The paint used is real metallic gold and silver urethane automotive coating. It was completed earlier this year.

Multiple fundraising events were held to raise money for the project. They included a quilt raffle, food sale and dinner fundraisers and chance games.

An aluminum can collection allowed all members of the church, down to the youngest, to participate in raising money for the restoration.

The pride that members of the church felt as they gathered in front of the church Sunday for the blessing ceremony was evident. Their patience and perseverance had led to the completion of the special project, and the restoration of the domes was paid in full.